Atlanta City Council gets heated over special election timeline

by Fulton Watch News Feed

A piece of legislation considered by council on Monday would have set the qualifying period for the election in May, which is considerably earlier than the usual qualifying period before an election.

Some senior members on council condemned the stretched-out qualification period, saying that it could exclude potential candidates from running for the seat if they aren’t prepared to qualify that early.

“I have been here a long time and for qualifications to occur five to six months before an election is unheard of,” said Council member Andrea Boone. “I do not think this is the right thing to do.”

“This is hurting potential candidates, this is hurting the residents of the city of Atlanta and whatever spirit this was derived out of, I want those that are supporting this to really think about what you are doing,” she said.

Bond accused some members of unjustly moving the qualifying dates earlier in an effort to block candidates on the May ballot from running for the seat in November.

He alluded that the change was made to prevent Waites from running again for her former post if she lost her bid in Fulton County and called the proposed May qualifying date “an embarrassment” and a “poison pin-dart aimed at a colleague who resigned.”

“This place is like your family, you don’t get to pick who your family is,” he said. “The voters do.”

Others disagreed and said they believed the earlier qualification date weeds out candidates who may not be as prepared for the position.

“I think an earlier qualification time actually vets out more viable candidates than what we might end up getting,” Council member Alex Wan argued. “I think given the importance of this, in a citywide seat quite frankly, I would support an earlier qualifying time.”

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But councilors did agree that Waites resignation left the body in an unfortunate position since the next possible special election date isn’t until the general election in the fall.

“We find ourselves in a…

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